Stampeders' Drew Tate suffers broken arm, won't play in West final

Allen Cameron, Calgary Herald11.15.2012

With a cast on his right arm Calgary Stampeders quarterback Drew Tate tosses left-handed during practice at McMahon Stadium on Thursday November 15, 2012. The team has announced that Tate will not play this weekend.

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They made a movie called 2012 about a natural disaster wiping out the planet.

That, of course, was a work of fiction. Drew Tate’s real-life version of 2012 hasn’t featured any earthquakes or volcanoes, but from a football perspective has been no less disastrous.

The latest — and, mercifully, final — act played out on Thursday afternoon at McMahon Stadium. Tate, who’d thrown a stunning game-winning touchdown pass to Romby Bryant to win last Sunday’s West Division semifinal against Saskatchewan, watched Thursday’s practice, and the cast he wore on the lower part of his right (throwing arm) was an early indicator that a bruised forearm Stamps coach and GM John Hufnagel had referred to a day earlier was likely more serious.

After practice, Hufnagel delivered the news — an MRI and CT scan performed Wednesday afternoon indicated a fractured bone in his right arm. Tate is done for the year.

“It hadn’t responded (to treatment) as quickly as we had hoped, and that’s why Pat (Stamps director of medical services Pat Clayton) took him for further examinations,” said Hufnagel. “I made the comment (Wednesday) that when I wake up I hope things are OK. And obviously they weren’t.”

So Tate’s year is done without having really had a chance to take off. He was handed the full-time starting job coming out of training camp for the first time in his pro career and lasted just over a full game. In Week 2, on the second series of a game in Toronto, he fell awkwardly to the Rogers Centre turf and dislocated his left shoulder, and underwent surgery.

He returned to game action less than four months later and played half a game against B.C., half a game against Edmonton and the full game against Saskatchewan. But while being tackled by Riders linebacker Tyron Brackenridge in the third quarter near the sideline, he took the force of the ball on his right arm.

He gutted it out, but knew after the game that the arm would be an issue.

“I knew something was up; it just took till the Wednesday to get an MRI,” he said. “I told Kevin (Glenn) when we came in (after the game), ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna go (in the West final).’ I couldn’t grip the ball. But it is what it is. Move forward. It’s not the end of the world.”

In fact, Tate was remarkably level-headed about the situation, considering the devastating news. In some ways, perhaps getting a chance to play this season was a victory considering many suggested his 2012 season was done when he underwent surgery in July.

“I’m not too bummed; I’m not as bad as you probably think,” he said. “But it is what it is. The white horse keeps moving on and it’ll be a fun game to watch on Sunday.

“It’s just right there with all the other things. But it’s not just me — you have to think about all of the guys. Some of them have been hurt; like Marquay (McDaniel) in that game — he gets knocked out and gets called for a penalty and comes back and makes the catch (directly before Bryant’s game-winner) after being out with the hamstring. You know, there’s a lot of stories like that. It’s just that I’m the quarterback so it’s a bigger deal to the media.”

All true — especially based on Thursday’s practice as Tate was the highest-profile player not participating, but certainly not the only significant one.Middle linebacker Juwan Simpson is questionable to play on Sunday with an undisclosed injury, while safety Eric Fraser also sat out on Thursday, although Hufnagel suggested Fraser should be good to go on Sunday (he took a helmet straight to the knee in last Sunday’s victory).

“I mean, this has turned into a normal week where we’ve had to juggle our roster throughout,” shrugged Hufnagel. “ We won 10 out of the last 12, and Kevin started eight of those wins, so we’ll just move on.”

Hufnagel said Simpson’s injury will be assessed further on Friday, with hopes that an additional day of rest will make a difference. If he can’t play, rookie Deron Mayo will get the start.

“Any time you see any teammate, not just the person in front of you, go down it’s a big blow to the team,” said Mayo. “But that’s why we have depth, You always have to prepare like you’re the starter for that week and just be ready to go.”

As for Tate? A year that started so promisingly ends with him in street clothes on the sidelines for one or two more weeks.

“I guess 2012 just wasn’t my year,” he said.”But given the opportunity, I tried to take full advantage of it and contribute the best I can, and I did that with my few reps.

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